Roman Invasion!
by Zhang Liao
Summary: 219 A.D. Will the threat of a Roman invasion unite the warring kingdoms, or will betrayal seal the fate of all three?
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1

            A light breeze whipped strands of long dark hair across the youthful face of Zhao Yun as he stared down into the pass.

            "I count 100 of them, sir," the officer mounted next to him said.

            Down in the gorge, whipping a cloud of dusk high into the sky was a parade of mounted soldiers moving slowly up the winding path.  Zhao Yun and his men had almost certainly been spotted, but the caravan of soldiers paid them no heed.

            "Do they truly not see us?" Shin Mai asked in disbelief.

            "They see us," Zhao Yun answered softly, almost to himself.  "The Roman arrogance knows no limits."

            "We should report back to Master Zhuge Liang.  This is merely an expeditionary force, just as he suspected."

            Zhao Yun made no reply and showed no sign of preparing to depart.  His eyes remained fixed on the procession of cavalry snaking leisurely past them.

            "Sir…"

            "This Roman force has trespassed far enough into Shu-Han territory.  I will go down to confront them."  He spun his horse around roughly and set his cold gaze upon the young officer.  "Set the archers along to Northern ridge to await my signal."

            "It is not my place to disobey sir, but Master Liang…"

            "Master Liang trusts my judgement."  His tone was harsh, harsher than Shin Mai had ever heard the general speak.  "I am in command here!"  He kicked his steed hard, and dashed off with his bodyguards falling in behind him.

            Shin Mai watched as the general galloped off toward the slope in the distance that led down into the gorge.  The small band of Romans stood no chance against the 2000 strong force that surrounded them.  Should the signal be given, a slaughter would no doubt ensue.  "Lieutenant," he commanded.  A man ran up next to him and dropped to one knee.  "Prepare your bowmen along the northern ridge."

            "Yes sir."  The man ran off and Shin Mai watched as Zhao Yun and his men poured down the slope toward the Roman forces.  Their fate now rested in his hands.

            "Are you going to end it here Zilong," he whispered to himself.  "Will the death of one hundred Romans satisfy your lust for revenge?"

            Zhao Yun could see that the procession had come to a halt as he raced toward them.  They made no sign of preparing for battle, but Zilong knew what each and every man in the procession knew.  If a battle were to erupt, it would be a blood bath.

            The general continued toward them at top speed and skidded to a halt when he was only a dozen yards from the leader of the van.  He wheeled his steed around wildly and locked eyes with the Roman general.

            He was young and Zilong guessed him to be in his early twenties.  He showed no sign of fear and if anything seemed annoyed with the sudden appearance of Zhao Yun and his two-dozen cavalry bodyguards.

            Neither spoke for what seemed an eternity.  Zhao Yun stared at the man with a fiery hatred in his eyes that the other man must have understood.  Finally, the Roman general spoke quickly in Latin to the young Chinese boy who stood next to his horse.  The boy stepped forward and proclaimed:  "In the name of the Holy Emperor of Rome you are ordered to step aside and allow passage of this van."

            Zhao Yun balked.  "Who is this man and under what authority does he bring soldiers into our land?  Shu-Han forbids the presence of Roman soldiers here and this incursion is nothing less than an act of war."

            The Roman General stepped forward and replied without waiting for the translation.  The young boy listened silently and then spoke again to Zilong.  "Roman trading posts within your territory have not been adequately protected and the military reserves the right to protect its interests here."

            "We will deal with Roman trading posts as we see fit," Zilong replied sharply.  He could barely contain his rage any longer seeing this Chinese slave-child speak for the murderous regime of Rome.  He lifted his spear and pointed it straight at the enemy general.  "Turn back now or your head will be the only part of you to return home."

            He boy turned to his master and began to explain in Latin, but the general lifted his palm up and silenced him.  Again he stared straight into Zilong's eyes.  Neither man seemed ready to back down and the tension on both sides built to a climax as Zhao Yun lifted his spear into the air and the archers upon the ridge pulled back their bowstrings.

            At the last minute though, the Roman general signaled to his men and they all began to turn their horses around.  The general waited though, perhaps memorizing Zhao Yun's face.  Finally, he declared something forcefully in Latin and turned to follow his men.  No translation was needed though for Zilong.  He was sure the two were to face each other again.  Soon.

            Mi Zhu listened intently as Shin Mai explained what had occurred in the gorge at Jian Wei to the emperor Liu Bei.  The emperor listened listlessly and Zhu was sure he couldn't see the urgency of the situation.  He stood from his place next to the Emperor to interrupt the young officer.  "Your majesty, a force should be sent to Jian Wei immediately."

            Liu Bei, never before sensing such urgency in his advisor before, seemed perplexed.  "Send a detachment to Jian Wei?  Excuse me for saying, but I believe you are overestimating the importance of this confrontation."

            "The Roman army would never send a simple force of one hundred soldiers out this far into China," Mi Zhu responded.  "You can be sure that where you see one hundred, there are in actuality thousands."

            "Impossible," Liu Bei stated simply.  He was not one to disagree with his trusted advisor, but it was unfathomable that a Roman invasion force was approaching them.  "Between them and us lies the Parthian dynasty."

            "It is possible, my lord, that the Roman army has traveled faster than news itself."

            "You're saying they have conquered the Parthians and now they've come for China?"  It was too much to believe.

            "I do not know the motives of these foreigners, but I know that a detachment of so few soldiers would not have come all this way alone.  Precaution must be taken until this matter can be explored and understood."

            "Zhu," Liu Bei explained.  "Wei currently approaches from the East, and Wu would seize on any opportunity to capture Jingzhou from us.  A detachment simply cannot be afforded.

            "Master Zhuge Liang, what say you?" Mi Zhu said, turning toward where the man sat in the corner of the room among the shadows.  He remained seated for a moment, perhaps lost in thought.  Eventually he stood and stepped into the light.

            "Guan Yu is to be removed from Jingzhou and placed in control of Hanzhong.  I myself will go to Jian Wei with Zhao Yun to face this new threat."

            "Guan Yu will never accept," Liu Bei replied plaintively.  "His honor is at stake in Jingzhou."

            "This is what you will do," Zhuge Liang stated, more as if he were foretelling the future than as if he were putting forth advice.  "Send a messenger bestowing upon Guan Yu the title of General Who Promotes Peace in the West.  At the same time tell him that a replacement will be sent so that he may see to the most important task of protecting the empire at Hanzhong.  His honor will be maintained and his replacement will fulfill the task of evacuating Jingzhou."

            "Sacrificing Jingzhou for an invisible enemy Zhuge Liang?" Mi Zhu asked.  "I don't think a force the size that you request will be needed to protect Jian Wei.  Why must we abandon Jingzhou?"

            The slightest of smiles crept across Zhuge Liang's face.  "For our gift of Jingzhou, all we ask Wu in return is their help in defeating Wei once and for all." 

            Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang relaxed in the Minister's tent as the last of the conscripts bearing his books left.  "Master Liang," Zilong said after a time.  "Did the Emperor tell you about… my past?"

            "He did."

            Zilong stared down at the chess set between them, never looking up to make eye contact with Liang.  "Why have I been chosen to lead this expedition?  My bias against the Romans will surely cloud my judgment as it did before."

            "Zilong," the minister answered kindly.  "Your bias is exactly the reason I have chosen you to lead here."  Zhao Yun looked up and was surprised to see the Minister smiling at him warmly.  "The warrior's struggle does not end when he leaves the battlefield.  Just as winter and death are the harbingers of summer and life, the warrior must at once confront his demons while at the same time know that those same demons give him the very qualities needed to overcome them."

            Zhao Yun smiled back at the Minster as he stared into his eyes from across the table that separated them.  "Thank you Minister," he whispered.

            The moment was interrupted by a commotion growing outside the tent.  Both men rushed outside to see one of the scouts approaching.  "Ten, maybe twenty thousand," the young man was saying as he jumped from his horse.  He was panting for breath and pointing off into the distance.  "They make their way through the pass now, stopping neither to eat or sleep."

            The commotion throughout the camp was growing louder as word spread.  Master Liang tilted his head back and looked up into the night sky.  "So it begins," he whispered to himself.

            With that, he turned to Zhao Yun and lifted his brilliant white fan up into the air.  "Ready the troops.  The Romans attack tonight!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

            Zhao Yun's ears rang with the sound of a thousand voices screaming and the clangs of metal upon metal.  Fires had broken out in hundreds of different places and they now fought by the feint light of those flames alone.

            Out of the corner of his eye, Zilong spotted the approaching rider a split second before his sword swung down toward his head.  Yun leaned to the left just in time as the Roman soldier galloped past and continued through the crowd, cutting Zilong's men down left and right as he went.

            Yun turned back to the column of Roman soldiers marching endlessly forward.  Their formation was unlike anything he had witnessed before.  They were defying every rule of combat that Zilong had ever learned, and yet they continued forward.  Zilong rode down the line, jabbing fiercely with his spear into the tightly packed column of men; his spear deflected every time by their humongous shields and impenetrable armor.  They seemed more like a moving fortress than a procession of enemy soldiers.  Every few yards a spear would poke out through the wall of shields aiming for Zilong, but he easily avoided the blind attack.

            "General," Shin Mai shouted, as he appeared out of the dark chaos.  Zhao Yun withdrew from the line and approached his officer.  "We can't break their formation and if they continue at their current pace they will be at our camp before dawn.  We must pull back to fortify our position."

            Zilong was about to respond when he spotted a reflection of light off of golden armor behind his officer.  He pushed Shin Mai aside and raised his spear just in time.  

            The spear head caught the soldier directly in the abdomen and pierced straight through him.  He seemed to stop in midair as he was thrust from his horse with a sickening snap.

            "You see," Zilong said, pulling his spear from the fallen man.  "Their armor _is_ penetrable."

            The line had advanced to his position, so he spun around to continue his assault on it.  "General, we must fall back," Shin Mai pleaded again.  "Unless we stop them at our camp, they will surely fall upon the city."

            Yun pulled back once again from the enemy column.  He knew his officer was right.  They had barely scratched the surface of the Roman's forward units, and they themselves were losing soldiers by the hundreds to the enemy cavalry that continued cutting through their attack.

            "Give the signal then," Zilong shouted angrily.  His officer ran off through the crowd and Yun turned back to the line of soldiers who were once again upon him.  "I will break this line," he screamed, like an animal possessed.

            He reared his steed up on its hind legs and brought the powerful front legs down on one of the shields.  The line buckled slightly, but amazingly stayed up and continued advancing.  Again and again he brought the horse's full weight down upon that one shield, but the line would not break.  He was almost caught by surprise by a Roman soldier on horseback who had rushed up behind him, but Zilong cut him down upon his second pass.

            A loud gong filled the air and he saw his men pulling back toward the camp.  Zhao Yun was not about to pull back though.  He wouldn't leave until he had proven that the Roman line could be broken.  He reared his horse again and brought it down upon the giant shield.  It was dented in several places and was beginning to buckle.  Just when it seemed that the shield would fail, an opening appeared and a spear was thrust out toward Zilong.  He reacted quickly, grabbing the pole below the blade and pulling hard.

            The man behind the defensive wall of shields must have lost his balance because for the first time the line stopped advancing.  It was just the section he was attacking though, because the rest of the line continued.  Yun turned and realized that several enemy soldiers on horseback were galloping down the line toward him.  This was his last chance.

            He lifted the front legs of his horse up and with all of his might brought the horse down upon the weakened line.  The formation broke and the man with the weakened shield was crushed under the full weight of Zilong's steed.

            The men quickly adjusted to the fact that their formation was broken.  They dropped their shields and drew their swords in the same motion.  Screaming in Latin, they converged on Zilong, who was completely alone upon the battlefield.

            He reared his horse up and swung his spear wildly, cutting through armor and flesh alike.  He spun around and around, looking for an opening, but he realized that the line he had broken was forming again, his time as a perimeter around his position, trapping him inside.

            Like and animal cornered against a wall, Zilong fought with a ferocity that he had never fought with before.  He stabbed blindly at the men, piercing one man in the eye, another in the shoulder, and yet another one directly in the heart.  Blood splattered and sprayed him as he fought.  He was losing control of his horse, which spun and reared and screamed as it began to get cut down under the Roman assault.

            Zhao Yun knew that the end had arrived, but he fought on.  His horse began to collapse, using its final ounces of strength to keep its rider up above the fray.  A sword slash cut deep into Zilong's arm and a spear was thrust into his leg.  "My emperor," he muttered painfully, blood pouring from his lips.  "Forgive me…"

            His spear dropped from his hand as his horse collapsed and Zhou Yun fell to the earth amide a flurry of gold clad Romans, broken and shattered.

            As Zhang Fei approached the city of Jian Wei he could make out a feint glow on the horizon.  "Do you think the battle has already begun," his son Zhang Bao asked.

            "Those Roman swine," the general muttered.  "If they've arrived before us, there will be hell to pay."  He turned to his son and exclaimed.  "Lead the men as quickly as you can to the camp at Jian Wei.  I will go ahead."  With that, the general kicked his steed and ran off toward battle.

            As he approached the camp he could see that the soldiers were severely demoralized.  They were fortifying their position by constructing fences and towers, but the mood was certainly grim.  "Where is Master Zhuge Liang?" he asked a soldier in passing.

            "The command tent," he soldier replied, pointing off toward the back of the camp.  Zhang Fei made his way there and arrived just as one of Zhao Yun's officers, the young Shin Mai, was rushing into the tent.  Zhang Fei leaped from his horse and followed him in.

            "He's still out there Master," Mai was exclaiming to the Minister as Fei entered.

            Zhuge Liang bowed his head upon hearing the news.  "Who's still out there?" Zhang Fei asked feeling the tension in the room.

            "Zhao Yun, General," Mai said.  "We've got to rescue him."

            "It's too late," the Minister replied, his head still bowed.

            "Like hell," Zhang Fei retorted.  He rushed toward the door.

            "It's too risky," Zhuge Liang called after him as he stood from his seat.  "Zhao Yun has paid the price for following the passions of his heart and ignoring the reasoning of his mind.  Shall you pay the same price as well?"

            "I won't leave him out there to die when there's something I can do about it.  You may deal with me as you see fit when I return."  Zhang Fei ran to his horse.  Shin Mai was calling for him to wait, but the General ignored his pleas.  He jumped on his horse and raced off toward the gate.

            As he approached the enemy line he could see a commotion in a particularly disorganized section of the enemy formation.  He galloped toward it and came under fire by enemy archers as he neared.  The arrows whizzed past him, one cutting clean through his ear, but he continued on.  As he got closer he could finally see what the commotion was about.  Zhao Yun was trapped in the middle of the horde of Roman soldiers fighting desperately to free himself.

            Zhang Fei was almost to the group.  He lifted his serpent spear into the air and shouted loudly, "Zhang Fei is here."  Several soldiers spun around in surprise, but were cut in halves by the powerful force of Zhang Fei's blows.  Soldiers went flying through the air as he rushed into them.

            He was almost to Zhao Yun when the horde began to envelop him as well, hindering his advance.  "Away you Roman pigs," he shouted.  "I will slaughter the whole of your army if Zhao Yun is harmed."  His thunderous voice startled the crowd just enough for the general to make his way to Zhao Yun's side just as he was falling to the ground.  Zhang Fei reached down and grabbed Zilong with one powerful arm, while swinging his spear in a giant arc with the other.  

            Zhao Yun was limp when he picked him up and Zhang Fei wasn't sure if he was still alive or not.  He was severely wounded in several places.  Rage took hold of Zhang Fei and he began cutting down several men with each swing of the deadly serpent blade.  "Barbarians," he shouted.  "Tonight is the night that you will learn to fear Zhang Fei."

            He was making good progress through the chaos when he realized that several more columns of Roman soldiers were convening on his location.  Surrounded by a legion of Rome's finest men, Zhang Fei continued to fight fiercely.  He had come to a complete stand still though and was now fighting to simply stay upon his horse, which was losing strength quickly.  "I cannot die here without my brothers," his voice boomed over the masses.

            "Zhang Fei" a voice shouting was barely audible over the fray.  The gereral began to push his way toward the voice, which was growing louder.  Suddenly he spotted the man; it was Shin Mai.  The young officer was spinning his twin cobra swords wildly, cutting a path toward Zhang Fei.  Distracting some of the soldiers, his presence was enough for Zhang Fei to finally break free of the circle of soldiers around him.  He came to Shin Mai's side and together they broke free of the Romans and galloped as fast as they could, through a shower of arrows, toward their camp.  Whether they had saved Zhao Yun's life or merely won him a proper burial; neither man knew.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

            The physician bowed low before the Prime Minister Zhuge Liang.  "He has been stabilized your majesty, but he is not completely safe yet.  His wounds are extensive and he will need constant attention."

            The Minister made no indication that he had heard the man, but instead kept his back turned away from the audience, hiding any feelings he may have harbored.  "Thank you for you efforts," he finally said.  "Keep me posted on his progress."

            After the physician had left the command tent, Zhuge Liang finally turned to face Zhang Fei and the officers that were gathered.  "You disobeyed a direct order Zhang Fei," he said without making any attempt to hide his displeasure.

            "Yes Prime Minister, and I'm ready to accept any punishment for my insubordination."  Zhang Fei felt justified in what he had done and made it known to all present by his demeanor.

            The Prime Minister allowed but the faintest grin to pass his lips.  "We will deal with the issue when the time is approapriate.  Shin Mai," he called the young officer forward.

            "Yes, Prime Minister," he said, dropping to one knee.

            "You are to be commended for your act of bravery on this evening.  Your bravery in the face of almost certain defeat should go as an example to all of our men.  You are hereby promoted to the position of Protector of Jian Wei."

            Shin Mai looked up in surprise.  "I'm honored your majesty, but I simply cannot accept the General Zhao Yun's former position.  I have neither the merit nor the desire to take on such a burden."

            "Your modesty is commendable General, but the issue cannot be debated at present.  The Roman army will be upon our camp in only a few hours and our plan of action has not yet been established."  Shin Mai got to his feet and took his place next to Zhang Fei.  "After reviewing the tactics of the Roman forces," he paused in order to watch the reaction of the two generals and their officers, "I've decided to abandon Jian Wei and retreat back to the Min River."

            The men were visibly surprised, but none of them attempted to object.  Zhang Fei's scowl though had turned even more sour.  Shin Mai knew that relations between the two men had not always pleasant, but he was under the assumption that their differences had been put behind them.  Apparently, that wasn't the case.

            "The Romans have the upper hand here with superior armor and experience," the Minister continued.  "In order to counter this, we will use our knowledge of the terrain to our advantage.  This is what we will do…"

            "Sir, we've captured several Chinese in the skirmish earlier," a soldier said, riding up next to Vinicus as the Roman army marched toward the enemy encampment.  The night sky was transforming before their eyes into a brilliant red as the sun began to break over the horizon.

            "Captured?" the youthful officer asked disdainfully.  "Why on earth would you take prisoners here?  Crucify them as an example for any others that attempt to impede our march."

            "Yes sir," the man said and galloped off toward the back of the procession.  Vinicus kept his eyes trained on the enemy camp.  It appeared that they were going to make their last stand here and Vinicus was pleased.  They had already slain the arrogant commander that had molested them in the gorge only a week earlier and now it was only a matter of time before their primitive defenses were completely obliterated.  The city of Jian Wei was now visible upon the horizon and the camp was the only thing between them and it.

            The sound of a gong filled the air, but the Romans ignored it.  Nothing would stop their march.  As they all watched, the gates of the camp opened and a single soldier on horseback rode out.  He was a beast of a man, with a wild beard and tiny, piercing eyes.  "Who is this man?" Vinicus shouted.

            "Sir," a soldier yelled from the line formation in front of him.  "It's the man who rode out alone to take the enemy commander that was killed."  Vinicus looked the man over carefully.  Rumors had circulated that this man had single-handedly taken on an entire legion and now he was standing in front of the enemy camp as if he were ready to do it again.

            The bold warrior walked his steed forward slowly and then came to a halt.  He lifted his spear high into the air and in a booming voice began yelling in Chinese so loud that the forward procession of the Roman army actually came to a halt.  "Translator," Vinicus commanded.

            His young slave, a Chinese boy no older than ten or eleven stepped closer to his master's steed.  "He challenges you, master.  To a dual."

            Vinicus laughed loudly.  "Is this some sort of joke?"

            The young officer suddenly realized that some of his men who were close enough to have heard the translation were eyeing him curiously with sideways glances.  "Send Heritus out," Vinicus said angrily.  "He will cut down this fool."  The order traveled quickly to the back of the procession and a huge man, with a wild course beard rode up next to Vinicus, dwarfing the young officer.  "Bring me this man's head Heritus," he hissed.

            The massive soldier rode out alone to face the challenger.  The Romans all along the line began cheering wildly.  None of them had ever seen anything like this in all of their years in the army, and Vinicus had to admit that he was excited.  The strongest representatives from both sides were to face off to the death.  Vinicus smiled to himself.  Like gladiators, he thought.

            Heritus approached his opponent carefully, sizing him up before battle.  He would have enjoyed circling his prey for a while before battle in order to draw out the suspense for his Roman comrades.  The other man though, having no flair for dramatics, lunged at Heritus instantly when he got within striking distance.

            Vinicus was awed by the man's speed and strength.  He was bringing his giant spear down upon Heritus from every angle while Heritus himself was doing everything he could to hold him off with his shield and short sword.  Vinicus sighed.  Clearly, it was an uneven match and Heritus would be slain.  A pity, the young officer thought to himself.

            Suddenly, the man pulled back and away from Heritus and made his way as fast as he could toward the gates of the enemy camp.  "Villian," Vinicus shouted angrily.  He wasn't alone.  The entire Roman army was screaming in disapproval.  It was too much for Vinicus to handle.  "Forward," he screamed.

            The line rushed forward toward the hastily constructed fence, which rose some ten feet into the air.  Vinicus himself, so insulted by the enemy soldier's retreat, galloped headlong toward the gates.  Just as the first wave of one thousand troops reached the foot of the fence, archers appeared above them and rained down a hail of arrows.  Vinicus cursed to himself.  They would have to wait until the ram was brought forward to destroy the gate.  His men quickly packed themselves into tight formations, with their shields raised above them, creating an indestructible barrier between them and the archers.

            Vinicus retreated back from the fence, but then realized that his men were breaking through the barrier without the assistance of a ram.  "Weaker than I thought," the officer said to himself.  He once again rushed forward toward the largest opening and pushed past his men and into the enemy camp.

            To his surprise, the camp was almost completely deserted.  The archers and a few other pockets of resistance were attempting to flee, but the main force was not there.  "What is this?" another officer said, coming up beside him.  "Some sort of trap?"

            "Perhaps they fled to the city when we defeated their champion."  Even as he said it he knew that the thought was preposterous.  The other man was obviously besting Heritus when he retreated back into the camp.  He walked along the line of tents, cutting a few open to pear inside, but there was no one there.  More and more of the Roman troops were coming into the camp through the few loose logs they had managed to pry from the fence and were now moving methodically through the camp, searching for enemy soldiers.

            "Sir," a soldier said, coming up to report to Vinicus as he approached the back wall of the camp.  "We find no trace of an ambush party.  It appears that the camp was abandoned long before we arrived."

            It didn't make any sense.  Vinicus was staring at the back fence, lost in thought, when it slowly dawned on him that the back fence was constructed differently than the front.  The logs were in two columns here instead of just one and there seemed to be some sort of tar material in between them, holding it even tighter into position.  "Why would they make the fencing at the back of the camp stronger than the front?" he asked  himself, as if trying to figure out a riddle.  "Unless…"

            He noticed that the man who had reported to him was still standing there.  "What is it soldier," he demanded forcefully, annoyed that he was being disturbed.

            "Look sir," he man said, pointing beyond the camp to a hill that rose behind them.  Vinicus rode forward to get a better look.  It appeared to be two people sitting under an umbrella at the very top of the hill.  He quickly recognized one of the men as the challenger that had ridden out to challenge them.  The other was a much smaller man who was dressed in a beautiful white gown.  They appeared to be enjoying refreshments.

            "What the hell…"

            Suddenly, a hail of flaming arrows shot over the fence and ignited the camp like a tinderbox, trapping the Romans within a blazing inferno.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

            Sun Quan, the Marquis of the South Land, was in a better mood than usual as he stood looking out over the Chang Jiang and his massive naval fleet that was docked there.  Having secured his northern borders from the threat that Cao Cao posed with their treaty at He Fei, the Marquis had become obsessed with taking back Jingzhou from the clutches of Liu Bei's general Guan Yu.

            On three separate occasions he had attempted to obtain the return of that land which was rightfully his.  One all three occasions, he had been denied.  His mind had quickly turned to the thought of a military expedition, but knew Guan Yu represented a viable threat to any attack.

            Sun Quan watched his navy closely as ships began to move away from the shore and out into the open waters of the great river.  He thought he spotted his general, Gan Ning, upon one of the boats drilling his men and preparing them for the coming battle.  Sun Quan allowed himself to smile as he stroked his purple beard.  Rumors had begun trickling in only a week before indicating that a novice general had replaced Guan Yu in Jingzhou.  Official spy reports soon followed, but no one knew the reason for his replacement.

            It mattered little to Sun Quan though, whose determination to retake the province had become his single-minded focus.  Nothing could stop them now.

            "My lord," a soft voice said cautiously from behind him.  He turned to see his councilor Zhang Zhao standing before him.

            "What do you think of our fleet?" Sun Quan said, turning toward the activity down in the valley and stretching his arms out wide as if to encompass it all.

            "The world will know you as the dragon that unified the land your majesty."

            Sun Quan laughed.  "I care nothing for the world.  Jingzhou alone controls my attention and it is Jingzhou alone that will be mine on this day."

            "Today is certainly a blessed day my lord, but for reasons other than that which you see before you."

            "What do you mean?" Sun Quan asked, eyeing his councilor curiously.  The man was beaming with a smile that the Marquis had never witnessed before.

            "An emissary from Xu Chang arrived not an hour ago, followed almost immediately by one from the new ruler of Jingzhou."

            "They've come together?" asked Sun Quan in amazement.

            "As far as I can tell, no.  They have come independent of each other and neither knows of the existence of the other."

            "Good, keep it that way."  Sun Quan began to stroll back up the hill toward his palace and his councilor took his place beside the Marquis.  Lost in thought for some time, he finally asked his advisor, "What do you make of their visits?"

            "I know not my lord, but whatever their reasons, it certainly offers us a host of opportunities."

            Man Chong, the ambassador sent by Cao Cao, was conducted into the palace and then into the presence of Sun Quan. The wizened older man prostrated himself before the Marquis and presented his letters at the conclusion of the ceremonies of reception and began to explain his mission.

            "Wu and Wei have no fundamental quarrel, and their dissension has been brought about by Liu Bei. My master sends me to covenant with you for an attack on Jingzhou, while he goes against Hanzhong. This double attack being successful, the conquered regions can be divided between us two, and we can both swear to respect each other's territory."

            The Marquis gave no reply, but presented a banquet in Man Chong's honor and then had the man taken to one of the palace guesthouses.  Some time later, the representative from Jingzhou entered and Sun Quan recognized his old friend Mi Zhu.  He remained seated though in the formality of the court and allowed the ceremonies to be conducted properly.

            Upon the conclusion of the proceedings, Mi Zhu presented the reason for his visit.  "My lord Liu Bei has always said that his occupation of Jingzhou was merely temporary," he began.  "Not having a kingdom of his own to rule, he took it upon himself to see to the security and protection of your province of Jingzhou until that fortunate time in which his future home would be realized.  It was in great respect for you that he undertook that task and he now desires to return that province to you."

            Thinking that he was done, Sun Quan smiled at his old friend and was about to go down to embrace him when Mi Zhu suddenly continued.  "Unfortunately, the transfer of such authority will surely draw the attention of our common foe Cao Cao, who we defeated at Chi Bi.  In order to protect our forces that will withdraw from Jingzhou, we require that you launch a diversionary campaign against Xu Chang."

            The Marquis' mood had vanished like a passing season and he now glared at his former friend, rendered speechless by such an act of disgrace.  "See his man to the guest house," Sun Quan demanded through clenched teeth.

            Mi Zhu was led out of the room and no sooner had the door closed than Sun Quan began screaming.  "How dare he place such a demand on the return of my own territory.  He has come here to disgrace me!"  He turned to Zhang Zhao.  "Call my Generals together.  We will make our way to Jingzhou tonight."

            "Please my lord.  You do not see the opportunity presented here," his advisor said calmly.

            "Opportunity?" he asked sneeringly.  "I see the chance to take back Jingzhou once and for all with the help of Cao Cao.  Execute Mi Zhu immediately!"

            "Slaying one foe with another will only increase the threat that foe poses in the future my lord," Zhang Zhao said calmly, trying not to upset his master further.  "It would be best to use this opportunity to diminish the threat of both in order to establish our supremacy of China."

            Sun Quan was silent for a while, bringing his mood back into line.  The court was quiet with him, awaiting his decision.  "What are our options?" he finally asked, but strongly indicating that his mind was already set.

            Zhang Zhao knew that he was fighting an uphill battle to persuade the Marquis.  "Jingzhou is as good as ours," he started slowly, "whether we go along with Shu's demand that we attack Xu Chang or not.  That much is certain.  Wei though, has offered to attack Hanzhong if we agree to begin a campaign against Jingzhou.  Cao Cao has only recently returned from a lengthy campaign against Hanzhong though, and he knows that to succeed now, he will need our assistance.  Shu will certainly not be able to stand against our two forces attacking on two separate fronts."

            "What do I care about Shu?" Sun Quan shot back bitterly.

            "My lord, I care less for them than you, if that is possible, but I am thinking of the future.  If Cao Cao was to come into possession of Hanzhong, half of China would fall under his banner."  Zhang Zhao could tell he had finally captured his master's attention and so sped on quickly.  "Now if we agreed to both Shu _and_ Wei's proposals, that would ensure the bloodless capture Jingzhou and also give us the chance to take Xu Chang while Cao Cao's forces are away at Hanzhong.  Is we are successful, we would come out of the ordeal with all of the South Land, the territory of Jingzhou and the important foothold in the north at Xu Chang."

            After a lengthy consideration, Sun Quan finally agreed.  "I see now that your advice is good Zhang Zhao."  His advisor smiled proudly, but the Marquis quickly added, "But I am altering your plan slightly."

            "My lord?"

            "I will tell Mi Zhu that in addition to beginning a military campaign against Xu Chang, it will be necessary to put up the impression that we are invading Jingzhou and not simply having it handed over to us.  This will give Cao Cao the impression that we are going along with his plan."

            Zhang Zhao smiled broadly.  "Excellent plan my lord."

            Sun Quan was not finished though.  "As the Shu army retreats from our feigned attack, we will begin an actual assault on them.  Not expecting such a move, they will be easily cut down in their escape from Jingzhou."

            Zhang Zhao's smile had vanished.  "Is that honorable my lord?" he asked with slight hesitation.

            "They lost the right to die honorable deaths when they refused to return my territory after the capture of Hanzhong," he answered bitterly.  "After we have taken possession of Jingzhou and Cao Cao has begun his campaign against Hanzhong we will move on the capital."  A chill ran down Zhang Zhao's spine as he listened, but Sun Quan merely smiled broadly at his counselor.  "An excellent plan," the Marquis said as if it had been all the advisor's idea.  "An excellent plan…"

            After Mi Zhu and Man Chong had been called in separately and given Sun Quan's word that he had agreed to their individual requests, the two men were sent away without ever knowing of the existence of the other.  Then, the Marquis called for his military officers for a banquet at which they would receive their orders.

            Gan Ning was placed in charge of the campaign against Xu Chang and given authority over the officers that would assist him.  They included Han Dang, Ling Tong, and Lu Meng.  For the strike against Jingzhou, he chose Zhou Tai and Huang Gai and named Cheng Pu as the leader of the van.  He did not inform them though that Shu would think that the Wu invasion was just for show.

"Show them no mercy," Sun Quan told Cheng Pu after pulling him aside when the officers were leaving the banquet.  "Not a single soldier is to reach the safety of Hanzhong."

Cheng Pu agreed and bowed to his leader before leaving for the night.  Unseen by either of the two men and standing in the shadows of the chamber, Zhang Zhao's heart sank.  He knew that the Shu army wouldn't have a chance.  They would be slaughtered in cold blood, without the victim or the attacker knowing that the whole thing had been orchestrated by no one other than Sun Quan, the Marquis of Wu.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

            Zhao Yun awoke and found himself in an unfamiliar chamber.  After gaining his bearings, he attempted to get up, but a wave of sharp pain shot all the way through him and he fell back upon the mattress he was on.

            Sunlight poured through the window of the room, but he couldn't manage to see out of it from his vantage point upon the bed.  After a while he attempted to get up again, slower this time, but the familiar pain returned and he was forced to remain still.  How long had be been asleep?

            The young warrior tried to remember how he got there, but found that his memory was hazy.  There had been some sort of battle.  Had he been wounded?  He tried as hard as he could to remember, but it was too difficult.  His head hurt.

            He closed his eyes and allowed his fatigue to carry him back off to sleep.  It was all he could do to avoid the pain that grew stronger as the minutes passed.  Possibly because of medication, he quickly faded back into slumber.  As he did, he began to see things… lines of enemy soldiers coming toward him and loud yelling in a foreign tongue.  These things pulled upon his memory as if trying to tell him something, but what was it?

            The visions became more vivid.  He couldn't just see these things now, but he could feel them, and smell them.  The enemy soldiers, there was something wrong with them.  They were…. Roman soldiers!

            "No!" he screamed, sitting up completely in his bed.  The pain was overwhelmingly strong, but this time he ignored it.  He got to his feet and wrapped the silk sheets around his naked body and made his way, with some difficulty, to the door of the chamber.  His lord needed him!

            When he got out into the hallway he realized that he was in the Imperial Palace of Cheng Du, Shu's capital city.  He had only gotten a short ways down the hall when a servant girl stopped him.  "My lord, you must return to your chamber," she pleaded.

            "No," Zilong muttered through clenched teeth as he made his way along the wall.  "The Romans are coming."  She continued pleading with him as handmaidens poured out into the hallway.  They were all pleading with him to stop.  "Please," Zhao Yun said.  "I must find my lord."

            He pushed past them as they did their best to stop him, grabbing him by his powerful arms and pulling helplessly.  Suddenly, he spotted a large group running down the hallway toward them.  Liu Bei was among them!  "My lord," Zhao Yun exclaimed, and then promptly fell to the ground exhausted.

            With difficulty, the men who accompanied the Emperor of Shu carried Zhao Yun back to his chamber and left him there alone with Liu Bei.  "My lord… I couldn't stop them," Zilong said.

            "Don't worry about that now," the Emperor said kindly, taking the warriors hand in his own.  "As long as you are safe, that is all that matters."

            "Please…" Zhao Yun said with difficulty.  "I must know what happened.  Have the Romans been stopped?"  Liu Bei looked away without answering.  "I _must_ know my lord.  My honor is at stake."

            "We have slowed their advance considerably," the Emperor said reluctantly, still not looking at Zhao Yun.  "Zhuge Liang's tactics have forced them to remain in combat formations on their long march here from Jian Wei…"

            "Where are they now?" the young warrior asked, sitting up once more.  Liu Bei knew that there would be no way to stop him once he knew.

            He let go of Zilong's hand and said softy, "We're holding them off at the River Min, but Zhuge Liang says it's only a matter of time before they must fall back to Cheng Du for our last stand."  

Zhao Yun knew that that was only a few miles away.  He jumped from the bed instantly.  "I must go my lord.  We cannot let them cross that river!"

"You must stay here Zilong," the Emperor said without much conviction.  "You have not yet fully recovered."  To the warrior, Liu Bei looked like one who had lost all hope of victory and it pained Zhao Yun more than any physical wound to see him like this.

He dropped to one knee.  "By the will of heaven," he said fiercely, "I will drown them in the River."  He looked up and locked eyes with the Emperor.  "I swear to you I will stop them once and for all."

Zilong got to the Shu camp just as dark, ominous clouds began spilling over the Qing Cheng mountain range and into the valley.  After asking around, he found Zhuge Liang who was greatly surprised to see him.  "Zhao Yun," he said in amazement in the confines of the command tent.  "You have recovered this quickly?"

"Protection of my lord comes before my own security Prime Minister."

Zhuge Liang smiled and put his brilliant white fan down as he took a seat.  The look of defeat the Liu Bei had worn was upon the Prime Minister's face as well, but not nearly as noticeable.  Only one who knew the man as well as Zilong did would have recognized it.  "They are far stronger than I had imagined," the prime minister said, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he relaxed for what must have been the first time since the campaign had begun.

"What has happened in my absence?" Zilong asked, sitting down across from him.  As he did, the familiar sharp pain came back.  It was only when he remained still that the pain became almost unbearable.

"We've been able to lure them into several ambushes and have conducted several successful hit and fade attacks.  For the most part, it has kept them in combat formation the whole way here.  That in turn bought us just enough time to call for the other generals and have them come so we could make our stand here on the river.  The Romans receive almost a constant stream of reinforcements though."

"Who's here?"  Zhao Yun shifted in his seat and tried to hide the fact that he was in pain.

"Everyone except Guan Yu and Guan Ping.  They remained in Hanzhong to protect against Cao Cao should he decide to attack again."

"Have you learned anything about their leadership?"

"They are led by a man known as Vinicus, a young general about your age.  He was wounded in one of our ambushes…" The minister paused.  "You may remember meeting him in the pass at Jian Wei." Zhuge Liang was watching Zilong closely for a reaction and he certainly got one.

Zhao Yun's face turned red as he thought of the man.  _I should have killed him when I had the chance_, he thought to himself.

Zilong stood up quickly.  "Point me toward the shallowest part of the river.  I will bring you his head!"

The Minister looked up at him and sighed when he recognized the same look of possession that Zhao Yun had worn the last time he saw him.  "Didn't you learn anything in your last encounter?"

"I must have my revenge," Zilong shouted angrily.

Zhuge Liang could tell that nothing would stop him.

The thunderstorm had let loose a torrent of rain upon the land.  The river was rising slowly and Zhao Yun knew that he might not be able to get back across, but still he pressed his horse forward through the rushing waters.  The idea of not being able to return was not foremost in his mind though.  That spot was reserved for Vinicus, the enemy general that he had come so close to killing in that encounter that had started it all.

His horse finally got to the west bank of the river and pulled them out of the rushing water.  Zhao Yun pushed his long black hair out of his face and shouted at the enemy camp.  "Come out here and face me Vinicus.  I know you're in there!"

The archers upon the walls had their bowstrings pulled back and seemed to be waiting for some sort of signal to fire.  It never came though.  Instead, the gates of the camp opened and a procession of soldiers on horseback came out to meet him.  Through the downpour, Zhao Yun couldn't tell if the General he sought was among them.

When they were about twenty yards off, they all stopped in their tracks except one lone rider who continued trotting forward toward Zilong.  There seemed to be someone standing next to the horse escorting it.

As they approached, Zhao Yun lifted his spear to be ready for any surprise attack.  The man was unlike any opponent he had ever encounted the way he rode out so slowly and confidently.  With his men behind him, perhaps he felt safer, Zilong thought.

The man slowly became visible as though materializing out of the falling rain.  When he came into focus Zilong gasped at the site before him.  Never, in his entire life, had he seen such a shocking site. 

The man's face was horribly disfigured as thought he had been burned alive and had, by some perverse mistake of heaven, survived the ordeal.  Somehow though, Zilong knew that it was the same man.  The person who Zhao Yun at first thought was leading the horse was actually the Chinese slave-child he had seen with the Roman general on their first encounter.  At the time, the boy seemed to be serving the Romans out of his own free will.  Now though, he was strapped to the saddle of the horse by a leather strap around his neck that bound him tightly to the animal.  His face was swollen and bruised as though he had been beaten extensively.

The man began speaking in Latin, carefully articulating his words through the charred portions of his lips that hadn't been completely burned off.  Zilong could hardly look at the man without feeling sick, but he maintained eye contact nonetheless.

"You are not the only one who has survived death," the boy translated, his voice quivering in fear.  Hearing the boy was too much for Zhao Yun.  He lunged forward, with his spear raised, ready to slay the creature before him.


End file.
